This is a three-pronged episode of Orbital, where we discuss Jio Phone 2, Reliance Jio’s GigaFiber Internet service, and Asus Zenfone 5Z. First we talk about Jio Phone 2 as games editor Rishi Alwani and reviewer Aditya Shenoy join host Pranay Parab. The episode begins with talk of Jio Phone 2 vs Jio Phone, where we discuss the price of the new phone and how it will impact the Indian market. We talk about the things one can do on a 4G feature phone and what developers have told us about games developed for feature phones and daily active users on Jio. We then discuss App Annie’s report on top iOS apps and its Android counterpart and look at the companies that have come to dominate Internet usage in India. We then talk about KaiOS’s Google connection and what that means for the company’s growth on feature phones. Finally we talk about the Jio Phone Monsoon Hungama offer.
Next, we have a quick chat about Jio GigaFiber, which was announced along with Jio Phone 2. We discuss what we know so far and how Jio plans to tackle ISP monopoly at the building level. Here we talk about how Jio could influence your local ISP’s Internet plans and their cost. We mention why Jio has asked people to register and declare their interest in the service even before announcing the pricing or speeds to be offered by GigaFiber.
Finally, we talk about the Asus Zenfone 5Z, the smartphone that Asus has dubbed a OnePlus 6 killer. We discuss the pricing and specifications of this phone, followed by the “AI” features of the Zenfone 5Z, where we air some concerns around privacy as well. We then mention the results of our camera comparison between the OnePlus 6 and the Asus Zenfone 5Z. We also talk about the display and why it’s not going to be as good as the competition. Then we mention Asus’ aggressive pricing and debate whether Asus Zenfone 5Z can be called a flagship. Next, we talk about the performance, variants, and the contents of the box of Zenfone 5Z. Finally, we spend quite some time talking about the Asus Zenfone 5Z’s cons.
That’s all for this week’s episode of Orbital, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts or RSS, download the episode, or just hit the play button below.
